Right parents, need your help/advice.

I've got two indoor cats, both very sweet natured (not aggressive, never hissed at humans etc) and very pampered they have the run of the house including access to our bedroom at night (both will come for a night time cuddle and then head off to bed in the spare room)

OH and I have decided to start planning/trying for a baby and I know that as soon as I announce I'm pregnant OHs mum will tell us we have to rehome the cats... Which I have no intention of doing. I've always lived in a house with pets and I'm not going to stop now!

So, when you were pregnant or little one was newborn what precautions did you take? I know about not doing the tray when pregnant but I know OHs mum will try to scare me with stories of smothering etc! Need to have a plan in action for the inevitable lecture

Any advice would be massively appreciated.

__________________


My babies are my furries. This does NOT make me a crazy cat lady. Honest

My MIL is still determined the cat will suffocate LO or will give hims scabies (WTF? )

We broguht his dirty clothes home from the hospital (Anton was in the Neonatal Unit the first week of his life ) and left them lying tso the cat and dog could have a good sniff.
When we brought him home we let both have a sniff and discouraged her from going near his Moses Basket. If she jumped in it I would spray her with a water bottle, didnt take long till she avoided it! We let her sniff the pram etc mths before I had the bay too.

Our cat Squeak was sadly run over and we now have a 3mth old kitten from the SSPCA named Trouble who likes to try and get petted by LO, to which Anton grabs her and tries to eat her! :haha: Fun and games, Anton is 5mths and laughs at the cat and dog all the time

with our kitten Trouble


and with our cat Squeak who was run over

__________________

I have had cats while pregnant.

You have to be careful when changing the litter tray, while you are pregnant, coz of toxoplasmosis.

When #1 son was born, the cats were never allowed in his room and they never went near him when he was in the pram, although they used it as bunk beds when he wasn't.

I had a gate on my kitchen doorway which stopped him going in the kitchen when he was mobile, obviously cats litter tray and food was well out of small persons way.

I had more problems with one of my dogs when #2 son was mobile.

Cats tend to find safe places away from small people. As long as you don't leave the baby alone with the cats I wouldn't see a problem.

__________________


MY FAMILY

Caramel (ginger girl) Harry (oldest son) Nick (Youngest son)

I have had cats and babies with no trouble at all - well past the baby years now
okay, so, motherly advice - don't let the cats sleep in the same room as baby when you're not around to surpervise. No, cats don't lie on babies' faces and smother them but they will get into a nice cosy crib to snuggle up. You used to be able to get a net to put over prams and cribs to stop cats from jumping in - I used one of those many years ago (my babies are now 39,24 & 18)
Once your baby is of an age to be crawling about make sure there are no dangerous cat toys which could be put in the mouth, swallowed or choked on. Also from a hygiene point of view make sure the litter tray, food bowls etc are all out of baby's way.
As for having babies and kittens, here's my excuse to post my favourite picture once again

__________________

How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

when i was pregnant i had 4 cats and i used to do there trays ect but when baby was born when we went to bed at night i shut them down stairs so they had the run of living room dinning room and kitchen as they do like to sleep in the lil ones cot .

i also get moaning and when family come round they shoo the cats away from the kids but i get realy peeed off as they are good round the kids and i dont want my kids to start doing that to the cats .so now ive told them if they shoo my cats one more time or move them away from my kids they are banned from my house lol

You can still buy cat nets for prams and cribs from some places (I was pregnant a couple of years ago but sadly lost the baby and looked into these at the time)

What a gorgeous photo!!!!!!!!

__________________

i don't like kids i don't know anywhere near mine as i have seen too many kids be sadistic, my step sister has two kids one is horrible and enjoys inflicting pain so he isn't allowed the other will gently play with them, if you teach your kids as all should that they have to be gentle and soft with them then theres no problem personally i don't understand why parents wouldn't. the hurting of an animal intentionally is the first step in a line of becoming a psychopath or psychopath.

Like many have said if you make sure the cats don't sleep with the baby whilst your not around your fine obviously the cat may get happy around the young one and try and pad lol but tbh i grew up with cats and they love children and when children are taught to act a certain way its a lovely time on your childhood

__________________


http://nickoftime.proboards.com/index.cgi?

When I was pregnant/little one was a newborn, we were living with my OHs parents who had two cats. The litter tray stuff I was told is only until your 12 weeks pregnant, though I don't know as the cats that we had were toileting outside.

When little one was born we had a cat net for the moses basket and his pram, never used it though. Its a bit like an insect net. I just made sure I was always with the little one to keep an eye on the cats near him, the cats loved my little one & my little one would lay or sit there and giggle. Since then my inlaws rehomed the cats without telling us

Now my little one is two and we have Max they're fine together after a few days of oh no we have trouble lol

__________________

Hi i had 3 cats when i was pregnant and used good quality latex gloves for litter changing wormers and fleaing them i decided that the bedrooms were to be cat free so started the new cat routine in plenty of time "wean" them onto a new routine they were fine i found they didnt really worry about the baby but took loads of measures to make sure the cats and baby were ok think you just need to decide what would suit your home the best as for your MIL i got loads of that from people but just kept thinking advice is free you can take it away and do what you will with it. good luck x

Hi, I brought up 2 babies when I already had cats and they both survived the ordeal!! My mother went on about the baby being smothered, etc, and I bought a cat net as well, but we never needed it. The cats were both terrified of this little thing that could make so much noise and wouldn't go anywhere near him! BUT ..... they did like to jump in the cot after the baby was lifted and and curl up in the warm patch.

I didn't change the litter tray either (good excuse) and when the baby became a toddler he was discouraged from going near it by us explaining it was where the cat wee -ed and pooed and pulling faced and saying "Urrgh! Dirty!" as he approached it.

I've got some cute photos of toddlers and babies cuddled up together as well, but as my kids are now 15 and 17, they aren't digital and would need scanning in.

It won't be only cats, parents and parents in law come out with all sorts of things you should or shouldn't be doing when you have a baby. The best one I heard (from my Mum) was that I should be sitting the baby on the potty from about 2 months old and I was potty trained by 3 months. Obviously I was a gifted child!